Sub $250 LongBows.....What Choices Are Available??

[Nala]

Hey all,

I am asking for a friend of mine who has shot my WARF and now would like to give TRAD shooting a try.  He would rather have a Longbow and since his Old Lady keeps an eye on the money, he can't go over $250 for one.
The only thing I could do was point him to the Cabelas, Bass Pro and 3 Rivers Catalogs I have.  Since I have never seen or handled any of the bows in those catalogs I can't give any meaningful advice.  I would appreciate it if you all could help me out so I can kinda tell him what is best for his money.

I know he would probably get more of a bow if he bought used, but that's not very reliable.

From the ones I can recall, there is the Bear Montana, the PSE Sequoia, a Samick Bow or 2 and maybe another foreign made bow.  From my eye the best "LOOKING" is between the Montana and the PSE Sequoia.  That's about as far as my knowledge goes though.

OK fellas, if you were given $250 and told to spend it on a NEW Longbow, what one would you get?  What do you think is the best buy for that price?  How does the PSA Sequoia stack up against the Bear Montana?

Thanks for your time and help everyone.  I know you can't do much with that amount of money, but it's at least a start.  Hopefully a new TRAD shooter can enter the fold.

Nala

[KodiakBob]

Look for a used bow, if you want new then a viper is a good $200 starter bow.

[arrowslinger22]

If it was me, I'd try and find a used bow, either at a shoot or on this site.  If new is the option, the Montana is a very nice bow for the money and the Viper's not bad either.

[Whip]

I'm another used bow fan for something in this price range.  I think a used $250 bow would be more reliable than a new one, and it will hold its value bettter so if he decides to move up to something else latter he will be able to recover most if not all of his investment in this one.

[BR549]

I shoot a Montana longbow and love it. I looked at several longbows before getting this one but I personally like the simple design of the Montana. It shoots smooth and pretty fast.

IMHO

[Brian Stewart]

I've owned 6 used bows over the past few years, including the one I'm currently shooting.  All but one I've purchased from a very reliable, reputable dealer that many here know, I'm sure.  I've always been treated very well and the bows were in excellent shape.

The bow I'm currently shooting I purchased from a member of this site.  The sale went off without a hitch and I now have a great bow that I got for an excellent price.

I can understand your wariness of buying used, but there are just a ton of really great used bows out there that need homes.  99.99% of the time they are being sold by good folks that will treat you right.

I'm going to PM you with some other info.

Brian Stewart

[Izzy]

Go used or go with the Montana.

[thp]

agree with Brian.  used on Tradgang is the way to go.  There's a lot of really great folks doing a lot of bow trading.

[Shovelbuck]

I'd buy the Sequoia or the Montana. Both good bows and unlike used, they come with a warranty.

[BR549]

A store reciept and warranty is easier to explain to the wife. Some wives are not so keen on trading with buddies. I of course am not talking about my wife  

[sswv]

well for one' if he refers to his wife like you do by calling her "his OLD Lady" he'll never get anywhere. "you catch more flies with honey"

now' with that being said 'GO USED' for $250.00 you'll be surprised what you can aquire, just keep an eye on the classifieds.

 

[TexMex]

Tak a look at the bows here in the Classifieds

[WildmanSC]

Nala,

You have a PM.

Bill

[JohnV]

Don't think you will find many new bows that you really like for $250.  You can get a much better bow used if that is all that you can spend.

[soaring eagle]

sent you a pm

[Nala]

Thanks everyone for the advice.  I don't know what his draw weight is either, but I suspect by the way he shot my WARF that it's in the mid to high 40's.
I'll pass on all of the advice you all provided and I'll send him links to the sites so he can browse the classifieds at his leisure.  I'll also pass on the PM's that were sent to.

I appreciate you all giving your help.

Nala

[bgram]

Nala, depending on where you're at in WV, we are having ATAR down here at Lake Stephens, in Raleigh County, there will be vendors here with new and a whole lot of used bows that y'all could try out right then and there.  Only hold ups would be if you couldn't come to ATAR, and it's one month away.

[Grizz 53]

Nala, Don Dow builds one helluva nice longbow for 219 dollars including shipping. He,s up in Indiana. If you want I can pm you his e-mail address and phone number.